Joakim Noah Thinks the Chicago Bulls Could Start Rebuilding

Despite the Bulls’ front-office remaining cagey about the plans for the roster — which is growing increasingly dejected as losses mount — Joakim Noah can sense that changes may soon be afoot in the Windy City. Per the Chicago Sun-Times: “He also knows that with guard Derrick Rose gone for the season, a payroll over the luxury tax and some players who could draw interest on the trade market, business is business. Maybe that’s why he has been so down since Rose’s injury, ‘trying to find my spirit out there on the court.’ The core knows its chance to win a championship this season is on life support, and the likelihood of this group staying together is coming to an end. Asked after the 89-83 overtime loss Monday against the Jazz if he thought rebuilding was a viable option for the front office, Noah said, ‘I think it’s possible. I mean, yeah.’ Emotion is allowed to seep into a locker room. It has for the Bulls. ‘We’re praying for [Rose],’ forward Carlos Boozer said. ‘It would be tough on anybody to go through what he has the last couple of years.’ But emotion can’t influence the front office. So while general manager Gar Forman has spent the last 72 hours hearing and reading all the different opinions from the outside, his job is to be realistic about the situation. His reality might not be what people want to hear, but it’s what he and the organization are sticking to. ‘The culture that has been created with the type of guys that we have is about continuing to get better, competing on a nightly basis,’ Forman said when asked if he believed this roster still could compete with the Heat and Pacers. ‘We’ve got talent on this team. So are we looking ahead? We’ve never been in the mode where we’re looking ahead that far.'”